What's Required State special education funds may be used for special materials, supplies, and equipment which are directly related to the development and implementation of individualized education programs (IEP) of children and which are not ordinarily purchased for the regular classroom. ffice and routine classroom supplies are not allowable. Special equipment may include instructional and assistive technology devices, audiovisual equipment, computers for instruction or assessment purposes, and assessment equipment only if used directly with students (tLocal Education Agencies (LEA) must comply with the ARD/IEP Committee determination including Special Factors 19 TAC 89, 1125(d)). EAs must take all reasonable steps to provide instructional materials in accessible formats to children with disabilities who need those instructional materials at the same time as other children receive instructional materials (34 CFR 300.172).
Equipment means (a) Machinery, utilities, and built-in equipment, and any necessary enclosures or structures to house the machinery, utilities, or equipment; and (b) All other items necessary for the functioning of a particular facility as a facility for the provision of educational services, including items such as instructional equipment and necessary furniture; printed, published and audio-visual instructional materials; telecommunications, sensory, and other technological aids and devices; and books, periodicals, documents, and other related materials (34 CFR 300.14).
Instructional Materials means content that conveys the essential knowledge and skills of a subject in the public school curriculum through a medium or a combination of media for conveying information to a student. The term includes a book, supplementary materials, a combination of a book, workbook, and supplementary materials, computer software, magnetic media, DVD, CD-ROM, computer courseware, on-line services, or an electronic medium, or other means of conveying information to the student or otherwise contributing to the learning process through electronic means, including open-source instructional materials (TEC 31.002see ADMISSION, REVIEW AND DISMISSAL (ARD) COMMITTEE, SPECIAL FACTORS, USE OF STATE SPECIAL EDUCATION FUNDSand ADMINISTRATION OF EQUIPMENT)
Access to Instructional Materials: The State must adopt the National Instructional Materials Accessibility Standard (NIMAS), published as appendix C to part 300, for the purposes of providing instructional materials to blind persons or other persons with print disabilities, in a timely manner after publication of the NIMAS in the Federal Register 71 FR 41084). All LEAs must take all reasonable steps to provide instructional materials in accessible formats to children with disabilities who need those instructional materials at the same time as other children receive instructional materials (34 CFR 300.172). Universal Design for Learning (UDL): UDL provides a blueprint for creating instructional goals, methods, materials, and assessments that work for everyone--not a single, one-size-fits-all solution but rather flexible approaches that can be customized and adjusted for individual needs.
Evaluation Procedures: Each public agency must ensure that
(1) Assessments and other evaluation materials used to assess a child under this part (2) Assessments and other evaluation materials include those tailored to assess specific areas of educational need and not merely those that are designed to provide a single general intelligence quotient 34 CFR 300.304(c)
(i) Are selected and administered so as not to be discriminatory on a racial or cultural basis;
(ii) Are provided and administered in the child’s native language or other mode of communication and in the form most likely to yield accurate information on what the child knows and can do academically, developmentally, and functionally, unless it is clearly not feasible to so provide or administer;
(iii) Are used for the purposes for which the assessments or measures are valid and reliable;
(iv) Are administered by trained and knowledgeable personnel; and
(v) Are administered in accordance with any instructions provided by the producer of the assessments
Provision of Services for Students Placed by their Parents in Private School Faclities
The school district shall be responsible as determined by the ARD/IEP Committee under proportionate share for the employment and supervision of the personnel providing services, providing the needed instructional materials, and maintaining pupil accounting records.
Materials and services provided shall be consistent with those provided for students enrolled only in the public school and shall remain the property of the school district 19 TAC 89 1096 (3)
Parent/Family Access to Teaching Materials
A school district shall make teaching materials and tests readily available for review by parents.
The district may specify reasonable hours for review.
A student's parent is entitled to request that the school district or open-enrollment charter school the student attends allow the student to take home any instructional materials used by the student.
Subject to the availability of instructional materials, the district or school shall honor the request.
A student who takes home instructional materials must return the instructional materials to school at the beginning of the next school day if requested to do so by the student's teacher. In this subsection, "instructional material" has the meaning assigned by Section 31.002 (TEC 26.006).
What To Do
Items which are common to any regular classroom, such as desks, tables, chairs, clocks or trashcans cannot be purchased with federal or state funds.
Office supplies cannot be requisitioned through the SERS for classroom use.
Materials purchased through SERS can be identified using various terms as follows:
Program materials are materials that have been approved through the Office of Special Education Services to be purchased for specific special education instructional programs (e.g. Resource, Lifeskills).
Student specific materials are materials that have been identified through an evaluation or ARD/IEP process as necessary to meet the individual needs of a child with disability.
Fixed assets are materials that are valued at ≥ $500.00 at the time of purchase.
Supplemental materials are materials that are valued at < $500.00 at the time of purchase.
Consumables are defined as any type of material which is used in a one-year period or would not be reused to support another student.
NOTE: Equipment purchased with federal funds can be used only for the purpose for which it was designated. Federal equipment cannot be checked out for use at home or moved from the designated location without following the specific procedures identified for these process. Board Policy, CMB(LOCAL), EQUIPMENT AND SUPPLIES MANAGEMENT.
What's Required
State special education funds may be used for special materials, supplies, and equipment which are directly related to the development and implementation of individualized education programs (IEP) of children and which are not ordinarily purchased for the regular classroom. ffice and routine classroom supplies are not allowable. Special equipment may include instructional and assistive technology devices, audiovisual equipment, computers for instruction or assessment purposes, and assessment equipment only if used directly with students (tLocal Education Agencies (LEA) must comply with the ARD/IEP Committee determination including Special Factors 19 TAC 89, 1125(d)). EAs must take all reasonable steps to provide instructional materials in accessible formats to children with disabilities who need those instructional materials at the same time as other children receive instructional materials (34 CFR 300.172).
Equipment means (a) Machinery, utilities, and built-in equipment, and any necessary enclosures or structures to house the machinery, utilities, or equipment; and (b) All other items necessary for the functioning of a particular facility as a facility for the provision of educational services, including items such as instructional equipment and necessary furniture; printed, published and audio-visual instructional materials; telecommunications, sensory, and other technological aids and devices; and books, periodicals, documents, and other related materials (34 CFR 300.14).
Instructional Materials means content that conveys the essential knowledge and skills of a subject in the public school curriculum through a medium or a combination of media for conveying information to a student. The term includes a book, supplementary materials, a combination of a book, workbook, and supplementary materials, computer software, magnetic media, DVD, CD-ROM, computer courseware, on-line services, or an electronic medium, or other means of conveying information to the student or otherwise contributing to the learning process through electronic means, including open-source instructional materials (TEC 31.002see ADMISSION, REVIEW AND DISMISSAL (ARD) COMMITTEE, SPECIAL FACTORS, USE OF STATE SPECIAL EDUCATION FUNDSand ADMINISTRATION OF EQUIPMENT)
Access to Instructional Materials: The State must adopt the National Instructional Materials Accessibility Standard (NIMAS), published as appendix C to part 300, for the purposes of providing instructional materials to blind persons or other persons with print disabilities, in a timely manner after publication of the NIMAS in the Federal Register 71 FR 41084). All LEAs must take all reasonable steps to provide instructional materials in accessible formats to children with disabilities who need those instructional materials at the same time as other children receive instructional materials (34 CFR 300.172).
Universal Design for Learning (UDL): UDL provides a blueprint for creating instructional goals, methods, materials, and assessments that work for everyone--not a single, one-size-fits-all solution but rather flexible approaches that can be customized and adjusted for individual needs.
Evaluation Procedures: Each public agency must ensure that
Provision of Services for Students Placed by their Parents in Private School Faclities
Parent/Family Access to Teaching Materials
What To Do
NOTE: Equipment purchased with federal funds can be used only for the purpose for which it was designated. Federal equipment cannot be checked out for use at home or moved from the designated location without following the specific procedures identified for these process. Board Policy, CMB(LOCAL), EQUIPMENT AND SUPPLIES MANAGEMENT.
ADDITIONAL FORMS
ADDTIONAL RESOURCES
National Instructional Materials Accessibility Standard (NIMAS),
- National Instructional Materials Access Center (NIMAC)
- National Center for Accessible Instructional Materials
- Bookshare (Benetech Accessible Books for TX)(designated Authorized User for the State of TX)
- Learning Ally Texas Support Site (designated Authroized User for the State of TX)
- IMET (Instructional Materials Education & Technology Division of TEA)
- TEA Accessible Instructional Materials homepage
- TEA Instructional Materials Allotment homepage
Universal Design for Learning (UDL)